New ballots make second debut after primary problems

Voters will again fill out paper ballots and run them through an optical scanner during the midterm elections.

The change was made to comply with the federal Help America VoteAct. HAVA was passed after the contested close presidential vote in 2000 to make voting simpler and easier.

The machines were used during City Council elections, but frustrated voters due to a lack of instructions and poll sites opening late. Executive Director George Gonzalez was fired last week for a September primary that was plagued with problems surrounding new automated voting machines that resemble ATMs.

The city election board says many of the problems have been addressed through retraining workers. Staff from the elections board will be available to assist voters.

Voters also get to decide this week whether New York City officeholders are entitled to two or three consecutive terms. The ballot question tomorrow comes two years after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg abruptly changed the law so that he could run for mayor a third time.

There will also be special machines for the disabled, hearing impaired and the blind.